The expression Cute as a Button was never more apt than for today's wedding. Claire and Jonny were wed in glorious sunshine at the most heartwarming and personal ceremony in Co. Down, and they chose some of our favourite photographers in the whole wide world - Lou and Louie of Blackbox Photography to capture their […]

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The expression Cute as a Button was never more apt than for today's wedding. Claire and Jonny were wed in glorious sunshine at the most heartwarming and personal ceremony in Co. Down, and they chose some of our favourite photographers in the whole wide world - Lou and Louie of Blackbox Photography to capture their day.

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For any of you entertaining ideas of diy decorations, then Claire and Jonny will give you a real boost of confidence...

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But first we need to hear the love story that led to the marriage...

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"We initially met in Newcastle at a drop-in centre where I was working with young people — Jonny had came in with a mutual friend of ours to see what it was like. He started coming every week! After this meet we spent many months hanging out with the same group of friends — getting to know each other, and soon Jonny began to make it clear he would like to be more than ‘just friends’!!

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"We began spending more time together just the two of us, and after a few more months of fun dates and adventures we decided to start a relationship. It was the best decision ever! All of our friends and the young people we know who had watched our relationship grow were so excited. Looking back, we have so much to be thankful for..."

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Go, on... how did he pop the question "We set off for a day of ‘fun’ — little did I know about what that day would hold!! We went to Belfast, had lunch, played mini golf, went bowling, (the first time I actually beat Jonny, I found out later he was so nervous, and that was why!) On the way home to Newcastle that evening we stopped in Dundrum for a walk along the bay — it was dark but the moon was out so bright, and along the path we often take Jonny steered us off down to the edge of the water. He got down on one knee and asked me to marry him — I was so surprised but straight away said Yes! I was so pleased he had even asked my dad!" Awww, what a cutiepie!

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Claire and Jonny's wedding look revolved around buttons, and while you'll see how beautifully everything is executed and coordinated, this wasn't a military operation of wedding decor at all as Claire explained..."I absolutely love buttons— we designed our invitations, which had a wooden button detail and from there everything followed with a button theme! It was not something we had really intended to do but it just came naturally. Our colour scheme was petrol blue — again, just a colour we fell in love with, and then tried to incorporate where we could.

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"In a deeper sense our theme was one of ‘joy’ — our aim was simply for us and our guests to have a wonderful time and treasure the experience and memory of our special celebration." And judging by all the smiling faces I think it's safe to say their aim was truly met, this is clearly a group of family and friends who love and support Claire and Jonny and are overjoyed to be sharing in this day with them...

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"We are both Christians and for us the most special part of our day was going to be the ceremony. We really wanted people to see what is truly important to us and about the whole idea of marriage...

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My childhood minister and hero of ours — Leslie Addis officated at the ceremony — it was full of laughter, emotion, hope and love. Jonny loves music and plays drums and guitar - our friends formed a band and played many amazing songs for our ceremony."

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...We are just so thankful to all the wonderful people who helped and took part in various ways to make it all possible."

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After the ceremony, the newlyweds headed off to the nearby countryside with Lou and Louie from Blackbox Photography, who as per usual, created some amazing portraits - natural, beautiful and glowing, these are not your run-of-the-mill wedding portraits, these are a true reflection of a couple in love - have you ever seen a happier smile than Claire's? Or a prouder man than Jonny?

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I love Claire and Jonny's attitude to the day, it's definitely something all couples should try to emulate... "Honestly we tried to savour and enjoy every little moment! Many people had warned us about how ‘quickly’ the day would go, so I think we were deliberately trying just to enjoy every part as it came. The memory of it all is amazing…we both said to each other that night that we could not have dreamed it that would go any better!"

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Claire and Jonny put an extraordinary amount of effort into the DIY for their wedding, with every little element designed and executed by the two of them, from the invitations and ceremony booklets to the table plan and favours. This was no mean feat with everything festooned with tiny little buttons and beautiful paperwork. And the results were totally awe-inspiring...

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Martha Stewart would have these two on her team in an instant I'd bet - this is how to do beautiful handmade details (Franc, I'm looking at you!)

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And it's easy to see Claire got her talents from, as her mum created these nom, nom, nom, fairycakes, topped with... buttons, of course!

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So after creating such a special and personal celebration, what advice do these two have for the rest of us? "We would have many pieces of advice! The first, is "Be yourself! As we planned and made decisions about our day we just kept looking for things that we loved. Its important not to feel there are things ‘ you have to do’ : be creative and don’t be afraid to be different and do what YOU want! Second: Research! Do lots of research — I found so many amazing things by checking out blogs and websites: this takes time but is so worth it! Third, Enjoy!!! It’s such a beautiful time — and in the middle of it all don’t forget the reason behind everything you are planning — this day is about you and celebrating the love that your lives have been blessed with."

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All our love and congratulations to Claire and Jonny and our thanks for sharing such a beautiful occasion with us.

And to Lou *2 over at Blackbox Photography, Muchos Gracias for sharing your work with us! If you love this, you'll adore the rest over on blackboxphoto.co.uk - trust us!

All the Wedding Details